Sep 12, 2010

I was flipping through my thick recipe book - Le Cordon Bleu: Complete CookingTechniques,Looking at pages after pages of gorgeous bread dough pictures,I was hit by an inspiration!

(As I looked over my kitchen..)My food mixer was sitting in the corner,Did my eyes get all fogged up, was that...a gloomy cloud hovering above my mixer?Ok...I have to admit that the mixer hasn't really been used since it came to my house few months ago,Less than five times for sure,Maybe it's time to bring out the sobbing mixer and give it some works!

Sift the flour into the container attached with the mixer,Stir in active dry yeast and salt,Make a hole in the center, pour in warm water and olive oil,Start "blending" (kneading) for about 5 minutes till the mixture forms into soft dough,You might need to use a scraper to scrape the flour down into the center during blending.

Once that's done, cover and wait till the dough gets "fat!"Wait for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Before and after -

The fat dough is cute huh?Too bad all that cuteness won't save it from being hit by a hungry person,Just punch it down and knead for additional 2 to 3 minutes.Flour the board or the kitchen counter,Transfer the dough there and roll it into a ball.

Shape the dough till it resembles the shape of pizza,It was my first time making pizza dough...Man oh man...it was sticky and elastic for sure,Remember, use enough flour! Otherwise the dough will stick on everything!

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper,Place the flattened dough there.

For pizza sauce,You can just use store bought spaghetti sauce for time saving's sake,I actually heat up a can of diced tomatoes,Add about 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, some salt and pepper,Cook till the sauce is reduced by half,My simplified pizza sauce is done.

So spread the sauce over the dough, Leave some space on the edges,You had pizza before yep? (Please say yes, otherwise I might faint..) So at least you kind of know how much space to leave there.Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and cubed taleggio over the sauce,Cover all that goodies with pepperoni -

(Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit)Into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes,Sprinkle some red pepper flakes or just use some Tabasco sauce for that extra kick if desired.

Not bad for the first try??Well....at least my food mixer is happy now.

To Debbie~I first had taleggio when I was in Taiwan and fell in love with its salty yet milky flavor. I also made a baked egg dip with taleggio before! Give it a try! It's good for appetizers or breakfast!

I've seen so many recipes lately for pizzas! So far, I think yours must be the best! The other one I really like is Mexican Pizza. What do you think? Thanks again for sharing this delicious pizza recipe!